Eilir and the Giant
by Laina Inverse
Summary: Dragonborn Altmer Eilir has recently finished up building a lovely house in Falkreath. Somehow, she has acquired a guest on her lands that is dangerous, and yet has not caused any damage. In the interest of making things simpler so that she can bring her children from Whiterun to Lakeview, Eilir decides it's time to try and talk with the uncertain guest.


Eilir studied the problem thoughtfully from the top of her Enchanter's Tower. The giant had been there for several weeks now, and other than being mildly threatening when approached, was otherwise a benign, if irritating, part of the property. The problem was twofold; one she had two girls that she wanted to bring to Lakeview at some point. Getting them out of Whiterun for a bit could be fun. Two; there was no way in hell she was strong enough to kill a giant.

The Altmer woman sighed, idly fingering the scars under her left eye as she watched the creature lumber about the property. At first she'd assumed it was there to destroy her house, but other than threatening her when she stepped close... well, he was harmless. Not to mention useful; he'd scared away at least three different bandit groups that she knew of. Probably more that, since she was away for weeks at a time. He'd also helped her kill a dragon, though she had to run into the river to keep from being the next target.

The point was, she either needed to try and befriend him—a difficult, dangerous process—or find some way of getting help in chasing him off.

So far she had opted for trying to befriend him. He seemed to enjoy cheese, and it was hardly troublesome to get some when she passed through a town. That initial gift had been entertaining to watch, mostly because she'd picked the sane option and set it down before simply walking into the house. He'd stared at it for a while, then edged over, picked it up, and chowed down.

There was something funny about a twelve foot tall humanoid mincing, though. She'd been forced to go inside before bursting out into laughter.

Still, that had started something. She hadn't directly offered cheese yet, but she figured it was time to do _something_. She wanted to bring her girls out into the forest, away from the troubles of Whiterun. And if she could get the giant to cooperate, well, that would be even better.

But first she had to find out if he was interested in talking. Or listening.

She sighed and shoved some hair out of her face; the locks were getting long enough to be annoying and in need of cutting, something she was going to have to do pretty soon. Bad enough having limited depth perception thanks to being half-blind, but if hair got in the way of her good eye, well, then things got all kinds of annoying.

As she climbed down the ladder back into her house she made a mental note to do that sooner rather than later. But the giant still came first.

She had thought this out carefully. No weapons was first and foremost rule. No magic, though that was going to be more difficult if he started threatening her again. Having already been caught by one dragon without her bow, she was loathe to leave it hanging on a rack, but give than the other option was death by giant's club, well... she just had to hope she could run fast if things turned sour.

She put her armor on it's own stand and pulled on the clothing she'd bought from a miner. It was sturdy enough, and hopefully _unthreatening_ enough to bypass any potential issue. Otherwise she was probably going to end up in her skivs, and even if Falkreath was the farthest south one could get and _not_ be in Cyrodiil, it was still cold.

She sighed a little, stretched herself out carefully, then made for the outside world again.

Her timing was good; the giant was intrigued by the stable she'd built and had spent a lot of time circling it once she was done. He still tended to do it on average of at least once a day that she'd noticed, so she waited patiently for him to be done. When he did take notice of her, the club dropped from his shoulders, and he took a semi-threatening step forward.

"Now enough of that," she said sharply, rolling her eyes and holding out her hands palm up. "We've done this dance for months now, and I for one, am gettin rather _tired_ of it. You and I need tae be talkin, not fightin."

The giant stopped. Hesitated. Then put his club back on his shoulders.

"Aye, that's better. My thanks. I'm glad ye understand me. Will ye sit?"

She suited action to words and sta down, putting herself at a distinct _dis_advantage. Again the giant hesitated, then imitated he and sat down on the floor of the clearing, putting his club down near his knees. Eilir smiled a little, an expression that was getting more and more natural as her life continued to improve.

"Look, I understand ye've taken a liking tae the property. I don't mind that. What I am _going_ tae mind is if ye take exception tae the people I intend tae bring here in the future." She cocked her head a little at him, then sighed. "I have two daughters I'd like tae bring out of Whiterun, but _only_ if I knew you're not goin tae turn them intae pie fillin with that club of yourn. Two _adopted_ daughters, meanin neither one is likely tae look a thing like me. D'ye follow?"

The giant looked back, mimicking her headtilt, and said something in the language of his kind. She grimaced a little, wishing he knew what it might be. She hoped it was a question about the girls, because that's what she was going to assume it was.

"They're both little Nord girls. One it blonde, her name is Runa. The other has brown hair, her name is Sophie. They're bright, active girls, and I intend tae teach them how tae hunt game, and defend themselves..." she grimaced a little again. "...as soon as I find the time for it."

There was a sound that made Eilir jump, and after a moment she _thought_ it sounded like laughter. The giant, she realized, was laughing. She blinked, then shrugged with a rueful smile.

"There's also a chance I may hire a steward tae help look after the place. Get animals, building materials as needed... likely male, though I admit, I wouldnae protest a female steward. They will be the ones tae look after the girls if I leave them here, since anyone I marry had best keep up with me!"

There was more laughter from the giant, and she shrugged again, waiting for him to stop.

"The point bein, I cannae have ye threatenin every person as walks ontae the land. Some of em _will_ belong here."

This time there was no laughter, and the giant seemed almost to study her. Then he pointed at her. It wasn't a hard thing to guess and she nodded.

"Aye, they'll be with me the first time. But after? We seem tae have gotten _some_ communication goin, you and I, but will ye hold tae it? I can always lead ye tae where some other giants reside near the city, if ye dinna think ye'll want tae stay here."

He shook his head a little, and she realized in the back of her mind that the giant was mimicking her movements. It was kind of entertaining.

"So, you want tae stay?"

A nod.

"If I bring the people tae see you, will ye not harm them?"

Another nod, and a slight lift of the club that, when dropped, nearly knocked her out of her sitting position. She had to hastily put her palms on the ground to keep from falling over.

"And you'll help tae guard the land from things like more bandit, dragons and wild animals?"

A third nod, and this time he thumped himself in the chest, making her grin.

"All right then. If ye need tae sleep, feel free tae use the barn. I'll never own a horse. Hell, I thought ye might _want_ tae have a bit of shelter."

The giant looked at her, then looked at the barn. Then reached out and gave the building an experimental push. She winced as it creaked alarmingly and the wobble shed thatch from the roof.

"Ah, hush. I'm not an expert, they all left once the house was finished! I just thought it might be somethin of use tae you."

There was laughter again, and she shook her head in mock disgust, getting to her feet. And promptly falling back down as the giant immitated her and got to _his_ feet. More laughter was followed by a surprise; the giant reached out a hand and helped her to stand upright. Give that his hand was almost half her height, it was a _little_ unnerving... but it was also very appreciated.

"I think we'll get along just fine."


End file.
